Mentis Fugit - two minds, half a brain

Saturday, April 29, 2006

Cindy Sheehan is entitled to feel a little envious

It is thought the body sent to Australia in place of the remains of the country's first fatality in Iraq was that of an East European man.

An investigation is underway after the bungle over the return of Jake Kovco's casket.

His remains are now expected back home tomorrow; they were supposed to arrive in Melbourne yesterday, but the wrong coffin was put on the plane in Kuwait.

The soldier's family is outraged, confused and distressed.

His widow phoned Australian prime minister John Howard in the middle of the night to demand an answer, which her father in law Martin Kovco says was not forthcoming.

He says Mrs Kovco got Mr Howard out of bed, adding that while the Prime Minister was obviously able to sleep, the Kovco family is unable to because of what has happened to Jake.

Private Kovco's mother Judy has publicly berated Defence Minister Brendan Nelson, who flew in to pass on the bad news. She says she just sat there thinking it was all a big mistake, and that her son was going to walk in.

Let's run that by you in slow motion: the widow telephoned the prime minister in the middle of the night to demand an explanation, and was put through. Can you imagine the witch-hunts that would ensue if the Bubble Prince's nap-time was disturbed in this fashion?

Could the United States please hand the epithet "Land of the Free" over to Australia. They seem to have a better idea what it means right now.